<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Sometimes you need a little help by TsukimoriMadoka</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28854606">Sometimes you need a little help</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukimoriMadoka/pseuds/TsukimoriMadoka'>TsukimoriMadoka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, I don't know what I'm doing, Kenpachi being awkward, he's trying his best</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:47:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,428</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28854606</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TsukimoriMadoka/pseuds/TsukimoriMadoka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>First prompt for the Seireitei Server Valentine's Challenge.</p>
<p>"Love Letters"</p>
<p>~*~*~</p>
<p>
  <i>"I just need some damn flowers."</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>"And buying the right ones is almost a form of art. Which is why I need to know who will receive them", putting down the mirror he looked at Kenpachi. "They need to be appropriate. You can't just pick flowers from the side of the road."</i>
</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Unohana Retsu/Zaraki Kenpachi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>The Seireitei Server Valentine's Writing and Art Challenge 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sometimes you need a little help</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Asking people for help wasn't something Kenpachi did. Be it because he was too proud to admit that there were things he needed help with, or because he didn't want people to think he was weak. Because he wasn't. </p>
<p>However, when it came to women he was a hopeless case. </p>
<p>He neither wasn’t the type to actively look for a relationship of some kind nor did have a lot of people to talk to about that topic. Asking Ikkaku or Yumichika for advice was something he expected to go over in a very awkward fashion even though they were his best bet. At least when it came down to people he trusted. Maybe he simply didn't expect them to know enough about how dating women worked. The other person he trusted, Yachiru, was too young to talk about anything in relation to dating, not that he would ask her for advice anyway. What was she to say when asking about what to get someone you cared about as a present? </p>
<p>Go and buy some candy?</p>
<p>Yes. That was exactly what she had said to him while drawing something on a sketchbook Rukia had given her during one of the usual meetings the SWA held over at the 6th. Kenpachi didn't understand why their 'office' hadn't been found yet, but he was glad Yachiru hadn’t suggested the meetings could be held at his division. Luckily there wasn’t enough space for an extra meeting room so even if Yachiru would have tried, that was a good way to stop her before she could rearrange any room which might have been big enough for all the female Shinigami to gather. </p>
<p>Kenpachi had enough problems with one woman already. He didn't want to imagine what would happen if even more would be here on a regular basis. Including the one who was on his mind more often than he liked her to be. </p>
<p>Hell no. Taichou meetings were even more bothersome than they had been long before he started to notice an attraction for Retsu but once he had noticed that? It just got worse. Kenpachi began to focus on it a little more each time. He would look at her, come up with excuses to see her, and now he was looking at things he could do to make her happy. To notice him. Which she sure did anyway but he wanted to be noticed for a different reason than just for being one of the many Shinigami in need of constant healing. Or for being a fellow Taichou. </p>
<p>Getting Retsu a gift seemed to be the right way to go about in order for her to agree on a date. Once he would ask her in a faraway future. </p>
<p>It surprised Kenpachi a bit when Yachiru said she had no problem sharing her candy. "I got enough for you to take some if you want. Ukki gives me new ones every time I stop by, so I will never run out."</p>
<p>"How often do you stop by Ukitake Taichou? He is sick, you shouldn't bother him too much", sometimes Kenpachi couldn't help but wonder how the man was still walking on his own. </p>
<p>Looking up from her drawing Yachiru scratched the back of her head. "Uhm.. I visit him after meeting Rukia and Nana and Re-chan and the rest. And in between of course! And Ukki is happy when I visit him. You should come and visit him too Ken-chan!" </p>
<p>Kenpachi furrowed his brows. "I will leave that up to you. If you don't mind I will get some of the candy."</p>
<p>"Sure!", was all she said before continuing her drawing as Kenpachi got up to leave, pick up the candy, and then make his way to the 4th division without any more delay. </p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>Just what had been going on in his head when he decided to come here? He had no plan besides giving Retsu the candy. The realization of that came when he was already in her office, staring at her while she looked at him with a smile on her lips. She was in the middle of writing something down. A cup of steaming tea to her left, a stack of papers to her right.</p>
<p>"Zaraki Taichou? I didn't expect you to stop by. Is there anything I can help you with?" </p>
<p>Professional as ever. He should have known. </p>
<p>“I brought you something sweet”, he handed over a small bag full of colorful assortments of all kinds. Some smaller, some bigger. Retsu spotted licorice in the mix, something she enjoyed more than she liked to admit. "Yachiru thought it would be a nice idea. It's a.. thank you so to speak."</p>
<p>Obviously, he wouldn't tell her the real reason behind his visit. Coming up with a made-up one took more time than he thought it would and he could only hope it was enough for her to not be suspicious because standing in front of her for almost a minute without saying anything must have looked weird. Plus he knew Retsu could see through lies easily. It was one of the things which made her a good healer. How often had he been here to be treated for an injury without being honest with the severity of it? How often had she taken and moved his arm to find the exact spot and reason for his pain, only for him to glare her down in return? Because he knew better than to pick a fight with her. </p>
<p>“A 'thank you' for what exactly?”, putting the pen down, she moved her hand to take the bag from him while looking at Kenpachi’s face. He seemed nervous. Which was very unlike him. Out of all the members of his division he tended to be the loudest. Not necessarily in a bad way as most of the times he got loud, it was to tell others to stop complaining so much about being healed and to appreciate her and her subordinates more. “Are you feeling well Zaraki Taichou?”</p>
<p>“I am fine. Just.. take the damn candy!” At this point he shoved it into her hands, not waiting for her response or giving her an answer as to why she was receiving a present from him. Shouldn’t she realize what he meant when saying it was a ‘thank you’ gift? That it was for all the times she had saved him, Yachiru, or the other two idiots he called family and would be completely lost without? </p>
<p>"Anyway, I got things to do."</p>
<p>Retsu watched him turn around, fumble with the doorknob for a moment, and then leave without any form of a normal goodbye. Smiling to herself she opened the bag, grabbed a piece of licorice, and put it into her mouth. Making a mental note to enjoy this unexpected gift, she looked forward to finding out how long it would take until Kenpachi showed up in her office again. </p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>"Flowers are always nice", one hand on a small mirror and the other in his hair, Yumichika didn't pay much attention to Kenpachi despite the peaked curiosity. His Taichou looking for a gift to give to an unknown person? Oh, how Yumichika wished Kenpachi would disclose the name. At least to him. Of course, only so he could make sure to give the right advice because based on things like the hair color some flowers just went better with people than others. </p>
<p>Kenpachi wasn't having any of it. Why did it matter? Flowers were flowers. Some people liked them, some didn't and so to him, it didn't make a lot of sense when Yumichika went on about how different flowers had different meanings. </p>
<p>They already had different colors! Wasn't that enough? </p>
<p>"I just need some damn flowers."</p>
<p>"And buying the right ones is almost a form of art. Which is why I need to know who will receive them", putting down the mirror he looked at Kenpachi. "They need to be appropriate. You can't just pick flowers from the side of the road."</p>
<p>Oh but Kenpachi could do just that. </p>
<p>Not from the side of a road but the flower gardens in the 8th division. Shunsui was rather proud of the rose bushes and everyone knew that. They had been growing for years. In the back of his mind, Kenpachi remembered Yumichika saying that roses, red ones especially, signified love.</p>
<p>They were perfect. </p>
<p>What wasn't perfect was Kenpachi's timing to arrive at the 4th. </p>
<p>Retsu was walking down the hallway, Isane at her side. Both women were looking at what Kenpachi assumed was a medical file and didn't realize he was there until they were five feet apart. While the women greeted him, all Kenpachi did was to stutter a few words before shoving the small bouquet of roses into Retsu's hand. She barely managed to take them since she was carrying the file, and if Isane hadn't reacted fast enough the papers would have been scattered on the floor. </p>
<p>".. those are for you", were the only words Retsu managed to pick up. Kenpachi had already turned around, leaving the building in a hurry. </p>
<p>Hugging the file to her chest with a sigh of relief, Isane turned her attention from the retreating man to Retsu. "Zaraki Taichou seems to behave somewhat strangely in the past weeks. Do you think he is okay?" </p>
<p>"Sometimes we are our own enemy", Retsu brought the flowers up to her nose to smell them. A smile forming on her lips as she did so. It had been several years since she had gotten flowers, especially such nice ones. She would make sure to properly dry them after they had faded.</p>
<p>Cocking her head to the side Isane looked at the flowers. They looked oddly familiar to her. "Doesn't Kyouraku Taichou have some of those in his gardens?" </p>
<p>Retsu looked at Isane. "Had might be the better term."</p>
<p>Slowly realizing what Retsu had implied by that, the taller woman's face lost all color and when Retsu began to chuckle, Isane wasn't sure how to react. Should she find it funny as well? Because right now all she felt was shock knowing that someone had cut down the roses Kyouraku Taichou held so dear. However, there was also enough curiosity on her part to see the reaction of anyone in the 8th noticing the missing roses, that she began to smile. </p>
<p>Today was an interesting day. </p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>Neither candy nor flowers had worked in Kenpachi's favor. </p>
<p>Retsu believed the candy was Yachiru's idea, which it was when Kenpachi thought about it. It didn't change the fact that he had delivered it though. The whole exchange back then might have not been the best to make his intentions clear. When thinking back to it, Retsu sure wouldn’t get the impression he came by, all the way from the 11th, to see her and give her a present because he liked her. Especially after what he said. The flowers were a total failure. Not only wasn’t Retsu alone, something Kenpachi should have expected if he was honest, no, he also didn’t manage to form one complete sentence.</p>
<p>Why or when had it become a problem for him to speak out loud what was on his mind?</p>
<p>It couldn’t just be because of his feelings for Retsu, could it?</p>
<p>Having been around enough people in his life who had fallen in love, Kenpachi was aware some of them weren’t thinking clearly from time to time. One of the best examples he had seen of such behavior were Ikkaku and Yumichika. Their love for each other made them make a couple of bad decisions. Or stupid ones. Mostly stupid ones when he gave it a long thought. He never thought to be in the same position as them and turn into a complete idiot. Unlike them, he wasn’t risking his life for Retsu or put other people in danger, if he didn’t count in the attempt of him cooking food for her.</p>
<p>Yes, he had been there. Thanks to a trip to the human realm to seek help from people he wouldn’t have to look in the eyes every day. Orihime had suggested for him to cook something because according to her a lot of people like it if someone else made food for them. Especially after a long day of work. Kenpachi heard Yumichika’s screams loud and clear even days later. Needless to say, every Shinigami in the 11th agreed that Kenpachi should never be allowed into the kitchen again.</p>
<p>Other ideas, which he decided to not try out after all the previous failed attempts, included singing Retsu a song, take her for a walk around Rukongai, or having a picnic. Which in itself was a bad idea after the kitchen disaster.</p>
<p>One last thing he decided to try was to simply go to her, be himself, and ask her out. Something which he came to realize was the easiest way for most people, but he knew who he was. He knew who Retsu was. They were such complete opposites that he didn’t understand why he was drawn to her that bad. The longer this was going on, the bigger of a problem it became. Obvious of the fact that he had begun to have dreams which included her more often over the past days.</p>
<p>Speaking to Retsu, no matter her answer, was his only hope to do something about this. Either she would say ‘yes’ to a date, maybe return his feelings or she would say ‘no’ and even in that case, he liked to believe that he was able to close this chapter. Maybe things would be awkward at first. Taichou meetings, having to go to the 4th for treatment. Retsu and he were old enough to handle this on a professional level. No reason to worry. That was a sentence he kept repeating in his head while his feet carried him all the way from his division to the 4th and right to Retsu’s office.</p>
<p>His hand was shaking slightly when knocking at the door. </p>
<p>“Come in”, Retsu’s answer to the knock was immediate. She had felt Kenpachi’s reiatsu long before he had made it to her office and smiled to herself when he entered the room, closing the door behind him.</p>
<p>After Kenpachi turned to look at her, he spotted the bag of sweets on her desk. It still looked almost full but since it was open he knew she had eaten some of them. Next to it, in a vase, were the roses he had given her. For some strange reason seeing those two items on her desk, close to her, made his heart flutter. Damn those feelings.</p>
<p>Putting a piece of paper down, Retsu spoke. “Zaraki Taichou, what can I help you with today?”</p>
<p>Suddenly all the things he had wanted to say to her, the sentences he had put together in his mind before coming here, were gone. His mind was blank. His heart racing. How did other people do all this relationship stuff without breaking down into a nervous puddle? He needed a different plan. Being himself didn’t work. He realized it here and now despite even trying. “I uhm.. I’m here because Ayasegawa has a.. skin problem.”</p>
<p>“A skin problem?”, she raised her eyebrows. “What kind of?”</p>
<p>“Ah.. not sure. It’s red spots of some kind. He doesn’t want to come out of his room. And he doesn’t want anyone to come into his room”, yes, good. That was very much how Yumichika would react in such a situation so it was a good lie. Kenpachi could only hope Retsu wouldn’t catch onto it. “I was hoping you had something for that because otherwise, he’s going to be a pain for the next few days.”</p>
<p>“I should have something”, standing up, Retsu walked to a cabinet behind her and opened it to take out a small bottle. Stepping back to her desk she held the item out for Kenpachi to take. “Tell him to apply this in the morning until the spots aren’t visible anymore. If it doesn’t get better he should consider stopping by.”</p>
<p>Closing the distance to the desk, Kenpachi reached out to grab the bottle, his fingers barely brushing across the skin of the woman’s hand as he did so. “.. I will.. tell him I mean”, he cleared his throat. “Thank you.”</p>
<p>“You’re welcome.”</p>
<p>Putting the bottle away in a small pocket inside his haori, Kenpachi’s eyes fell on a letter sitting on the desk. The envelope was adorned with stickers and drawings of flowers and hearts. It instantly reminded him of Yachiru as she would draw things like that as well. Just with more colors. </p>
<p>"You seem to be interested in the letter", Retsu noticed. </p>
<p>"Not really. It just made me think of Yachiru. She.. draws a lot. Sometimes even on reports", he scoffed before shaking his head with a smile. "She says that the only people she will draw something for are the ones she likes."</p>
<p>"How fitting", she picked up the letter in her hands, eyes traveling over the drawings on it. "I should have guessed it was a love letter before opening it if I had known that."</p>
<p>A love letter? </p>
<p>Someone had written her a love letter? </p>
<p>Now, obviously, Retsu was an attractive woman. Kenpachi was sure there were a lot of men and even women who had tried to express their feelings for her. Just like he did. Or tried to. He felt his stomach twist at the realization that someone else had been faster than him when it came to admitting he liked her and to ask her out. If only he had played with open cards. </p>
<p>Why didn't she seem happy though? </p>
<p>When Retsu put the letter to the side he spoke. "You don't look like you like having received it?" </p>
<p>"Receiving a letter like this is a nice thing. I guess I'm just a tiny bit unhappy because it didn't come from the person I hoped it would be from, but from one of the new recruits who might be a little too eager to get my attention." She found it somewhat funny if she was honest. New recruits having a crush on their superiors wasn't anything new. Neither in the 4th nor in any other division. Sometimes it felt flattering. In this case not so much, simply because of the fact she wasn’t interested.</p>
<p>To Kenpachi it meant that he still had a chance, didn't it? </p>
<p>"I'm sorry to hear that."</p>
<p>She let out a small chuckle wondering how the man in front of her managed to stay Taichou of the 11th for so long. Reading between the lines certainly wasn't his strength. "You should get back to your division and give Ayasegawa-san the medicine."</p>
<p>"Right", stepping back to the door Kenpachi thanked her again, said his goodbyes, and left. </p>
<p>Staring at the door Retsu sat back down in her chair. Never would she have thought of Kenpachi as the shy type. By now she had expected him to come barging into her office days ago to ask her out and yet, here she was starting to think she would have to make the first step or else they still would be dancing around each other in a couple of years.</p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>Another paper found its way into the trash bin.</p>
<p>The idea of writing Retsu a letter, a love letter more specifically seemed good at first. If someone else could do it, so could he. It didn’t take long until he noticed that writing down his feelings was just as hard as saying them out loud. At the moment the only positive thing he could see was the fact that he had several chances to find the right words. He could throw away a letter he didn’t like and go start a new one. When it came to talking there were no second chances. What was said couldn’t be taken back.</p>
<p>“Ken-chan!”, Yachiru came running into the room in a hurry. “You promised we would have a tea party today but you’re late!” </p>
<p>She ran around the desk as he put the letter away under some papers. Kenpachi didn’t need her to see what he was up to at the moment. “I forgot. Sorry to keep you waiting”, he ruffled her pink hair before scooping her up onto his shoulder as he got up from the chair. “I guess we better keep going then.”</p>
<p>“Uhu, Mr. Bear is waiting for us already.”</p>
<p>Mr. Bear. The stuffed animal had been a collective present from all the Taichous when Yachiru became Fukutaichou. The bear was massive. Even when it sat on the ground it was standing taller than her. Over the past years he had gone through a lot and, just like Kenpachi, was wearing an eyepatch. When asked about it, Yachiru would tell a story about how he fought off a large Hollow that had snuck into Yachiru's bedroom when she was asleep. On the next morning, his left eye was gone, and that was it. </p>
<p>Spending time with Yachiru and Mr. Bear took Kenpachi's thoughts away from Retsu and he was glad that he was able to forget her for a few hours. One tea party, dinner, and a sparring match with Ikkaku later, Kenpachi made his way to his room to get a good night's rest. He could continue his attempt at writing Retsu a love letter the next day. </p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>Retsu was ready to go to bed after a nice long bath to relax her muscles. She had been on her feet for a large amount of time today and was looking forward to getting some well-earned rest. </p>
<p>However, a knock on the door kept her from it. </p>
<p>"Who's there?" </p>
<p>"It's me Re-chan!", Yachiru's voice came through the door. "Can I come in?" </p>
<p>"Of course Yachiru", the woman smiled. Even more so when the door was opened to reveal the young girl carrying a large and clearly self-made envelope. "Did you carry this all the way?" </p>
<p>"Yes. It's a present for you", stepping closer Yachiru handed the envelope over. "I drew you a picture."</p>
<p>"That is very nice of you Yachiru", Retsu crouched down and gave her a hug. "You know I'm happy you came here and brought me something but it's already late. Having you run around in the dark worries me and I'm sure Kenpachi is worried as well."</p>
<p>Scratching her cheek, Yachiru grinned. "I'll be fine Re-chan. I'm strong. And I wanted to give you this before Ken-chan notices I took the papers away."</p>
<p>Retsu gave her a curious look. "The papers?" </p>
<p>The girl nodded. "He wrote things down for you. I guess he wasn't happy with them because they were all over his office. His handwriting is really bad, maybe that's why he didn't want you to see them. Anyway, I put them in here", she pointed at the envelope. "Together with my picture because I thought you should have them even if Ken-chan doesn't like how they turned out. Don't tell him I took his things though."</p>
<p>"I won't", Retsu was sure Kenpachi would notice that on his own soon.</p>
<p>"Good, I want to tell him!" </p>
<p>Well, that was an option too. </p>
<p>After making sure Yachiru would be fine to go back to the 11th on her own, Retsu decided to see what Yachiru had drawn for her and what those papers she had found were exactly. She was more than surprised when a bunch of folded papers, which looked like they had been crumbled up before, came out of the envelope. It looked like Yachiru had tried to smoothen them before folding them so they would fit along with the picture. </p>
<p>Turning her attention to the picture first Retsu began to smile. </p>
<p>The brightly colored piece showed five people in total and anyone who would see the picture would be able to name them right away. Two men, a little to the side, one bald, the other with an orange scarf, holding hands. Taking up most of the page were the other three figures standing next to each other. A tall man with an eyepatch, a woman who had her hair tied down in front of her body, and a small pink-haired girl in the middle of them. One thing Retsu couldn't fail to notice was how the girl was holding the hands of both people next to her. </p>
<p>Putting the picture to the side, Retsu opened the first folded piece of paper only to see some wildly scribbled texts. Some sentences were scratched out and rewritten. The same applied to the next paper she looked at. </p>
<p>Only one looked different. The paper hadn't been crumbled up, and when opening it there were no scratched out words though clearly it wasn't finished. Not that it mattered. What she was able to read was enough for her heart to beat a little faster. </p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>"Where is it?" </p>
<p>Not even five minutes into his office and Kenpachi was already turning his desk upside down. The letter he had written yesterday, not the ones he had thrown away, but the one he had put to the side for him to finish and then give to Retsu. It was gone. </p>
<p>Everything on his desk looked the same when he came in, which told him no one had searched for the letter. Or anything else because who should search for something they didn't know existed? </p>
<p>"You looking for something specific Taichou?" </p>
<p>Turning into the direction the voice came from, Kenpachi saw Ikkaku standing in the doorframe, Yumichika walking into the room before him with some reports in hand. </p>
<p>"Did any of you take papers from my desk?" </p>
<p>"Not since I did clean the desk up yesterday morning", Yumichika put the reports down and pointed at the stacks of paper he had cleaned up the day before. "If you would keep your desk clear..", he stopped in his tracks when Kenpachi glared at him. </p>
<p>"Ikkaku! If you want your boyfriend to survive this day you better keep him out of my sight."</p>
<p>"Noted", he stepped into the room and took Yumichika's arm to pull him back. </p>
<p>"I'm just saying..", the man protested. "How can there be so much stuff on the desk again within one day?!" </p>
<p>"Because I was working on something important! And now it's gone." Ready to throw the papers to the side, Kenpachi refrained from it when Yachiru popped her head up in front of his desk. </p>
<p>"If you mean the letter for Re-chan I can tell you where it went."</p>
<p>"Where is it?" </p>
<p>The smile which began to show on Yachiru's lips was one Kenpachi didn't like. Even before she spoke he felt like all color had left his face. </p>
<p>"I gave it to Re-chan! Along with the ones you threw away."</p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>After waking up Retsu had grabbed some tea, along with miso soup, rice and natto for breakfast. It was her usual go-to before getting ready for work, however this morning she was a little distracted as her eyes moved over to the letter which was sitting on the table as well. </p>
<p>She had read it several times last night and she was reading over it now as well. </p>
<p>Retsu wondered if Kenpachi would come and talk to her once he realized all the letters he wrote were gone. The day before she thought that maybe she would need to make the first step, and maybe she still needed to in case Kenpachi didn't stop by. Seeing how nervous he was when bringing her the flowers was a clear sign for her he hadn't done that a lot. The way he wrote the letters as well. </p>
<p>The door to her room was flung open suddenly. </p>
<p>Retsu had been so absorbed in the letter that she didn't notice someone approaching. </p>
<p>Right in the doorframe, one hand on the frame and the other on the door was Kenpachi. He was bending down a bit as the door wasn't high enough for him to walk through standing up. </p>
<p>“Good morning Kenpachi.”</p>
<p>The non-formal address she used didn’t go unnoticed by him. “Retsu”, he gave her a nod. Coming here felt like a bad decision now that he looked at the situation. And Retsu. </p>
<p>She was wearing a dark blue morning yukata. Her hair falling down her back. It was so rare to see her like this. In fact, he had only seen her like this once, years ago. His eyes moved down to the scar on her neck before moving back up to her eyes. Kenpachi found her incredibly beautiful and the reason for his visit came back to him a lot stronger when that thought crossed his mind. His heart beating fast in excitement. Just like it did when he was about to enter a battle. He was excited, happy, and sometimes a little nervous.</p>
<p>Retsu made him nervous for the most part because the piece of paper on the table in front of her was very familiar to him. </p>
<p>“It’s unusual for you to come here."</p>
<p>".. I was in the area."</p>
<p>"You were?", standing up, Retsu smoothed down the fabric of her Yukata.</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>"You know, for a man who literally jumps into any fight without thinking about what the outcome might be, you certainly put a lot of thoughts in other things", she picked up the letter and began to walk towards Kenpachi. "I can say that I've never received a love letter quite like this."</p>
<p>"I wrote a lot of stupid things."</p>
<p>"I saw. Yachiru brought me a couple of letters you threw away."</p>
<p>His stomach dropped now that he knew she had read all of them. Read all his thoughts regarding her. His feelings.</p>
<p>"Your choice of words might not be the best for something like this but.. I have to be honest and say they made me happy. I think my favorite one would be something you decided to scratch out. Something about you mentioning that you think I'm the coolest "</p>
<p>"Are you serious?" </p>
<p>Retsu chuckled. “Not entirely. I mean, I did like it a lot and I’m not opposed to getting more letters from you but I’d be happier if you invited me out to dinner already as you wrote.”</p>
<p>“You.. would have dinner with me?”</p>
<p>“Yes, why wouldn’t I?”, while Retsu spoke she walked closer to Kenpachi. He wasn’t moving an inch. Instead, he only stared at her, his heart skipping a beat when she did what he couldn’t in this situation: be brave. Using her free hand Retsu pulled Kenpachi down by the collar of his kosode to place a kiss on his lips. The contact was brief and if it hadn’t been for the hand still holding onto him, he would think of this as a dream. “I have to work until 7. If you want to pick me up?”</p>
<p>“.. yeah.. of course.. I’ll pick you up.”</p>
<p>“Good”, she took his left hand and placed the letter in it. “If you ever get around to continue it, I’d love to get a finished love letter from you. Now, I need to get ready for work so you should leave, I will see you tonight.”</p>
<p>With that said he was shoved out of the room, the door closing behind him. He stood outside the door for a while. Unable to process what had just happened he stayed for several minutes before he put the letter away and left, a grin on his lips. </p>
<p>Clearly, it didn’t go perfect, but it was close enough for him.</p>
<p>And he would finish that letter for Retsu.</p>
<p>
  <b>~*~</b>
</p>
<p>“Are you still mad about me giving Re-chan the letters?”</p>
<p>Yachiru was sitting on the couch in the office flipping through a picture book while Kenpachi sat at his desk. It had been a week since he had taken Retsu out for dinner and he was finally coming back to finish the letter just like she had asked.</p>
<p>“I’m not. I didn’t like you going through my things but.. I’m glad you did.</p>
<p>“That’s great.”</p>
<p>“Zaraki Taichou!”</p>
<p>Looking up Kenpachi watched as Yumichika basically stormed into the office until he was standing in front of the desk. He had one hand on his hips as he slammed down a paper for Kenpachi to see. "Can one of you guys explain to me why we don't just have to pay for three new kois for the 6th this month, but also new rose bushes in the 8th?"</p>
<p>"No idea", was Yachiru’s answer. </p>
<p>Kenpachi shrugged. "No idea either."</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>